Hearts and Red Roses
by iCarlyRox18
Summary: It's so easy to fall in love... when you've got someone there to catch you. Valentine's Day Seddie One-Shot. VERY fluffy. Rated M for LEMON.


**A/N: Well, since no one bothered to write a Seddie Valentine's Day fanfic with a lemon, I decided to write one for you guys. But if you find sex offensive/gross in some way, then just don't read the sexual parts of it. lol. Because the rest of it, in my opinion, is incredibly cute. :P This is quite a LONG one-shot, by the way. **

**But this isn't like the other Valentine's Day one-shots that have been popping up. It's quite different. I personally think it's really unique compared to those. So if you happen to enjoy it as much as I did writing it, leave a review! :)**

**Oh, and I realize it isn't Valentine's Day anymore. I was just so damn busy this week I completely forgotten I had written this, so now here I am, posting it a week later. lol.**

**Alright, enough of my rambling, continue on!**

***Sam and Freddie are still together for the sake of this fanfic.***

The shriek of an alarm clock woke Sam up that day.

"Uggghhhh," Sam groaned groggily into the pillow, refusing to move but wanting to violently yank the cord of the alarm clock out of the outlet at the same time.

After five more minutes of a growing, pulsing headache from its continuous screeches, Sam finally reached over and slammed her palm against the top of her alarm clock, glaring at it angrily as it glared back at her in bright red numbers: 6:15 AM.

She laid there for a few more moments before finally getting enough energy to lift herself up, reaching for her PearPhone as she did so. She turned on the screen, eyes widening as she read the date written in white lettering: February 14. _Crap._

"No, no, no, no," she said in alarm, shaking her head back and forth, not wanting to believe it.

She turned off her screen and checked again, thinking it was just a horrible glitch that her phone had.

_Oh, chiz. It __**is**__ Valentine's Day today._

She groaned again, with more frustration this time. She hated Valentine's Day. She resented it. She deplored it. She detested it. She even looked up those words in a thesaurus so she could vividly describe it to Freddie today. She even hated that stupid Cupid guy or whatever it was. When she thought of Valentine's Day, the last thing on her mind was a fat baby in a diaper shooting people with arrows.

She hoped he didn't have anything _too_ cheesy planned. Sure, she planned on banging him today, since it _was_, after all, _Valentine's Day_, (ugh, even saying it disgusted her) but she wanted to spend some quality time with him without the nakedness, too. She just hoped he wouldn't give her roses, a box of chocolates, pepper kisses on her face, plan an elegant dinner with burning red candles: the cheesy chiz that most guys did. Just the thought of it made her shudder in disgust. He better not embarrass her like that today. Or he could say goodbye to getting any later.

Her phone vibrated suddenly, lighting up. It was a text message. She checked the screen and saw it was Freddie.

_Hmm. The nub's already awake._

She inputted her "icky" password into her phone (according to Carly) and opened it up.

**Morning, beautiful. Happy Valentine's Day. :) See u at school, Princess Puckett. 3**

Aww. That was sweet. But anything beyond that? She'd like to see him try.

She headed to the bathroom, shaking her head the entire time, and got ready for school. She swore to God, if he even thought about embarrassing her in front of the entire school… She wouldn't have sex with him for two weeks. And she knew for a fact that would kill him.

After she had taken a shower, dried her hair, and got dressed, she grabbed her red and black checkered backpack and headed out the door to school.

When she got there, she saw Carly at her locker, getting books out of it and yawning.

"Hey, Carls," she said, taking a sip of the SkyBucks coffee she got on the way there.

"Hey," Carly said, trying and failing to hold back a huge grin. Sam knew she knew it was Valentine's Day. And she didn't want to hear her gushing over what Freddie was going to do for her today.

She glared at Carly, giving her a serious look before saying, "Carly, I know that look. I don't want to hear it."

Carly finally broke, grinning widely and laughing. "Aw, c'mon, Sam! You know you wanna' know what Freddie's gonna' do for you today! It's _Valentine's Day_!" she said, shaking Sam's free arm insistently.

"Correction. _No_, I don't. Carly, how long have you known me?"

"Too long," Carly said, rolling her eyes and laughing a bit.

Sam glared at her.

"Kidding!" Carly said, putting her hands up defensively.

"You better be," Sam said, downing the rest of the coffee and tossing it in the trash bin nearby. "Anyway, I seriously do not want Freddie to be all mushy today. He knows I don't do mush. So, if he's as smart as I think he is, then he wouldn't even try."

"Aw, c'mon, Sam! You have to let him do _something_ for you. You guys have been together for seven months! I mean, I don't think you could stop him. Even if you tried. Freddie's kind of a mushy guy sometimes. Even though he doesn't want to admit it."

Before she could respond, she felt two arms wrap around her midsection from behind, the shock of the warmth of the body flush against her back making her cheeks heat up a bit. She looked up at Carly, rolling her eyes when she saw the grin she had on her face grow even wider, wanting to squeal at the sight of them. She smirked when she felt warm breath on her ear.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she heard in her ear, shivering when she felt lips pressing into a sensitive spot on her neck.

"You know, I have a boyfriend. I don't think he'd approve of this," she said, biting her lip back against a smile.

"Oh, he knows about us. He _definitely_ does. And he's asking, would you be his Valentine?" he asked, laughing a bit, a soft rumble low in his chest before he reached up and grabbed Sam's chin and turned her face to him, capturing her lips in a deep kiss. They kissed until a flash of light interrupted them, shocking their eyes for a second before looking up and at Carly, who smiled slyly behind her camera.

"Carly!" Sam immediately said, darting for the camera, but she pulled away just in time with a small scream, giggling and starting to run away.

"Carly! You are _so_ dead!" she yelled, before turning to Freddie, relieved to see he didn't have a box of chocolates or roses in hand, handing him the backpack she was holding. "Can you put this in my locker? You remember the combo, right?"

"Yup," he said, smiling crookedly at her and smirking, clutching Sam's backpack by the handle at the top. "Wouldn't forget."

She smiled warmly at him, reaching up to peck him on the lips and saying, "Thanks." She turned around and ran after Carly.

"CARLY! I swear to God, you better not tweet that!" she screamed, running in the same direction as Carly did.

Freddie laughed, shaking his head before opening up Sam's locker and stuffing her backpack inside. He pulled out the folded piece of lined paper in his pocket and dropped it into Sam's backpack before shutting the locker closed and walking away with a contented smile on his face.

Today was going to be good.

ø

"Hey," Freddie greeted Carly and Sam at the lunch table as he produced a brown bag from his light blue backpack, tossing it onto the table.

"Hey," they greeted him simultaneously, Carly smiling when he sat down next to Sam.

He wrapped his left arm loosely around her, bringing his face close to hers to indicate he wanted a kiss. She rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her sandwich, but gave in, leaning in to kiss him quickly before going straight back to focusing on eating. He tasted the saltiness of her ham sandwich on his lips and chuckled.

"What?" she asked, mouth still full as she swiped her thumb across the corner of her mouth to wipe away the crumbs.

"Your lips taste like ham," he said, grinning at her childishly.

"Oh, shut up," she said, shoving him playfully with her elbow even as the corner of her lips turned up slightly.

He looked over at Carly, who held her bitten red apple in hand, grinning widely at them.

She scrunched up her nose and squealed, "You guys are so cute!"

"Carly…" she warned her.

She had heard enough of this already. After Sam had caught up to Carly, she found her in the girls' bathroom, in the process of tweeting the photo. She stopped her before she could though, and after what seemed like hours of persuading, Carly finally crossed her arms, pouted, and said 'fine.' Then she proceeded to gush about how cute it would be if Freddie did this for her, if Freddie did that for her, how cute they were together, how jealous she was of their relationship, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Sam nearly wanted to buy earplugs.

"Sam, stop telling me to stop gushing over you guys!" she scolded, exasperated. "Do you even realize how cute this is?" she continued, gesturing at them with her hands and apple frantically. "Seriously!"

Freddie laughed, looking at Sam before mocking Carly in a high-pitched voice, "Yeah, Sam, seriously!"

Sam nearly broke her serious expression when she heard Freddie say that, but she managed to choke it back a little bit, looking back at Carly.

"So, Freddie…" Carly said, dropping her apple down on her tray and folding her hands in front of her. "What are you gonna' do for Sam today?"

"Oh, I can't tell you," he said, smirking and shaking his head mischievously.

"Oh, my God, Freddie," Sam interrupted. "If you try to pull anything mushy today for Valentine's Day, I will—"

She was cut off when he produced the glorious plastic-wrapped brown stick of meat from his brown bag, smirking and waving it around at her.

"You were saying?" he asked, hypnotizing her with the jerky stick, a signature smirk traced on his lips.

"I… I was just saying…" she couldn't find words, staring at the jerky stick that suddenly made her mouth water.

She darted for it quickly, snatching it from his hands and unwrapping it. She stuffed a good bite of it into her mouth and bit half of it off, closing her eyes and groaning.

"Ohh, God," she muffled, chewing slowly to remember the taste forever. "I swear, Freddie. Give me a bouquet of these for Valentine's Day, and you'd get laid every day for the rest of your life."

Carly's eyes widened, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "Okay! Things are getting a little uncomfortable here. I'll just go throw away my stuff and let you guys… finish your conversation."

She pushed her chair away from the table and got up, going to the trash cans to dispose of her garbage and placing her tray in the dirty trays bin.

He laughed loudly, shaking his head and looking back at Sam.

"You're insane, you know that?"

"If you mean insanely in love with these things, you'd be absolutely right," she quipped, still focused intensely on her jerky stick.

"What about… insanely in love with me?" he asked, smirking.

She looked over at him then, blushing hotly and smiling ever so slightly.

"Maybe," she said quietly, glowering at him a bit.

"Well, that's too bad, 'cause I'm insanely in love with you," he said, leaning in to kiss her.

They continued until teachers would start to pry them off of each other. She leaned her forehead against his, finally focusing on everything _but_ the jerky stick and entirely on him, and she sighed contentedly, bursting with happiness that this boy was all hers.

He lowered his head and kissed her softly on her shoulder, nudging his nose against her neck soon afterwards and breathing her scent in.

"I love you, Sam," he whispered.

Even over the cacophony of students talking and screaming, it sounded like Freddie had shouted it to her.

Her heart jumped in her chest. Every time he said that, it would never fail to make her smile, make her want to leap with joy at the thought that she could fall for someone so hard, so fast and have him feel the same way about her.

"I love you, too," she whispered willingly, no longer caring how mushy or corny it all seemed. Because she did love him; it was true. How could she deny him that?

But more importantly, how could she deny _herself_ that?

ø

The bell rang, indicating the last class of the day for the Ridgeway High School students as they burst from the classroom doors, quickly filling the hallways like ants. Sam ran down the stairs, finally free of Mrs. Finkle's lecture about Euclid's importance to the geometric world. She went to her locker, surprised to see Freddie wasn't there already. She turned to Carly, eyebrows scrunching in the center as she twisted the lock on her locker to input her code.

"Hey, Carly, have you seen Freddie?" she asked as she opened up her locker.

"Nah. I heard he left early from last period from Tyler," she said, producing a few books and a binder from her locker and stuffing it in her backpack, hitching it over her shoulder and shutting her locker closed.

"Hm. Wonder why," Sam said from within her locker, producing a textbook and a few notebooks. "I swear to God, Mrs. Finkle's class has got to be the worst—"

She cut herself off when she saw the folded piece of paper in her backpack that was labeled in elegant script: SAM. She placed her book bag on the ground slowly and dropped to her knees, pulling out the note and opening it up. Carly's face brightened up, knowing exactly who it was from.

Sam got up and read it out loud, "Meet me at the courtyard in the Science wing when you get this. Wait until everyone in school is gone… I love you. Freddie."

"Oh, my God," Carly started squealing again. "Sam, go. Oh, my God. Seriously, go!"

"But what do I do with my backpack? I don't want to—"

"Oh, my God, stop making excuses. Go, and I'll bring your backpack home for you!" she scolded her, picking up Sam's backpack in demonstration and watching her walk slowly towards the Science wing.

Sam walked past the diminishing crowd of students, ignoring the ones sucking face against the lockers (one of the things she hated about Valentine's Day) and kept going.

_God, I hope he isn't planning a formal dinner in the courtyard or something. If he does, I'll slap him._

With a nervousness she couldn't quite explain, she finally spotted the hallway which had the door to the courtyard and looked around for a moment, making sure the coast was clear. It was. She turned the corner and saw Freddie leaning against the brick wall outside in the courtyard through the windows. She opened the door silently, as if scared to tear him away from his apparent reverie. She was relieved and felt, strangely, a little disappointment when she saw no white table-clothed table and candles in the middle of the courtyard. Freddie leaned off the wall immediately, giving her a crooked smile and shoving his thumbs in his pockets.

"Hey, Sam," he said.

"Hey, Sam?" she asked him skeptically, walking to a spot in front of him. "You tell me with a secret note to 'meet you at the courtyard in the Science wing,' and all you can say is 'Hey, Sam'?" she asked, a smile coming to her face.

He laughed and shrugged, "I dunno'. It just seemed like the first thing I could say to you."

She nodded, now feeling a bit awkward just standing in front of him like that. She clasped her hands together in front of her and twisted her lips to the side, rocking back and forth on her heels and toes, eyes roving over the cement floor of the courtyard.

"C'mere," she finally heard.

She looked up to see him gesturing to come towards him. She complied, walking the short distance between them and looking up at him almost shyly. He wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her close against him and staring into her eyes. It seemed incredibly cliché but incredibly comfortable at the same time, being in his arms like that, making her feel… safe and warm. She leaned into him even more then, sniffing in his familiar scent and the cologne he decided to wear today.

"You smell good," she muffled into his chest, nuzzling her nose against the soft fabric of his shirt.

"Hmm?" he asked, seeming a little out of it.

She looked up at him, had a hold back a laugh at the way he looked, heavy-lidded and smiling crookedly, almost like he was drunk off of love. Or from her.

"I said, you smell good," she said, absentmindedly tracing random figures on his chest with her fingers.

He laughed and closed his eyes at the sensation of her fingers on him, making him feel heated but comfortable at the same time. He opened his eyes again and leaned forward, their bodies impossibly close and lips nearly brushing against each other. He stopped short, had to stare at the way her eyes seemed to glimmer at him, drowning in them in the way they were ocean-blue. He brought a hand up to sweep away the hair that was falling on her face to get a better look at them. He loved her eyes. It made her all the more beautiful. And that was saying a lot.

He kissed her then, making her senses fail and her heart to start beating wildly in her chest, trying desperately to figure out the emotions swimming around in her heart, making her feel light-headed and weak. He deepened the kiss by leaning forward even more, forcing their lips together and opening his mouth, feeling her open hers under his immediately afterwards. The wetness and warmness of her tongue was met with a sense of familiarity, a sense of a want, a need, a _desire_. A desire that started deep inside him and made him want to bring her home and show her exactly how he felt about her in a different way that involved so much more than kissing.

He pulled away from her lips, only to trail kisses down her jaw and to her neck, placing open-mouthed kisses here and there. She moaned softly when he reached a particularly sensitive spot there, making her nerves jump and a quick jolt of pleasure shoot down between her legs. He had to hold back a moan in response; whenever she made sounds like that, it made blood rush down between his legs, and he didn't want her to feel like they were going to do it outside in the middle of school.

He trailed kisses back up to her mouth and captured her lips with his again, holding her impossibly tighter against him and rubbing small circles against her back. He left one hand flat against her back and trailed the other down her side softly, imagining the way her soft skin would feel against his hand and memorizing the perfect curvature of her body there. He wanted to feel her warm skin, knew it would feel amazingly soft beneath his touch. So he hitched her shirt up ever so slightly and grazed his hand across the expanse of skin that was exposed to him gently, hearing her breath hitch in her throat. She kissed him back with new enthusiasm, now gripping his shoulders tightly at the way his touch seemed to ignite something within her, making her feel a wild hunger. And it definitely wasn't for food this time.

He finally pulled away, bringing her shirt back down and letting his forehead rest against hers, breathing heavily and scrambling for something to say. Anything that would be able to let him articulate the overwhelming feelings swimming around in his heart in that very moment. His feelings for her in that moment, he knew, were stronger than they ever had been before. It was like he was on some emotional high, making him feel drunk and satisfied with just the fact that she was there with him. And on Valentine's Day, for that matter.

"I love you so much," was all he could think of to say at that moment, his mind unable to function after their rather long kiss. He kept his eyes closed, refusing to open them up to the ones he knew would only make his heart beat faster and the feelings in his chest to become even more overwhelming.

"I love you, too," she repeated back to him, releasing his shoulders and wrapping both her arms around his neck to pull herself closer to him. "So much."

An exhilarating feeling rang through him with her words as he finally opened up his eyes and stared at her, gripped her tightly as if he'd never let go. They remained like that for a few minutes before he finally spoke.

"You know why I made you come out here, right?"

She looked around and nearly smacked herself for being so stupid. In the heat of the moment, she was so focused on what she thought he would do for Valentine's Day that she hadn't realized he'd taken her out where it all began. Where she finally opened up to him and showed him how she really felt about him. Her mind flitted back to the day when Ridgeway was having their annual lock-in. She wanted to destroy Freddie and Brad's PearPad app which just _had_ to be so damn accurate and functional... Damn nerds. But hey, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?

"Yeah," she replied, nodding her head and smiling warmly. "Of course I do."

She remembered the electrical feeling that rang through her that night, when Freddie had gone outside to talk to her about opening up to Brad and she had kissed him shortly afterwards. Freddie was more than surprised to learn _he_ was actually the one she'd fallen in love with. When she grabbed him by the shoulders, took a huge risk and just kissed him, Freddie's first initial thought was literally: "I'm dreaming. This is all a dream. This can't be happening. I am not kissing Sam." But when he'd blinked once, he knew the soft lips he was feeling on his own were actually there. And it was a terrifying feeling at best.

To say he was confused after that kiss was the ultimate understatement. And when Sam had just disappeared out of nowhere for three days, it drove him even crazier. The memories that took place there, though it was only several months ago, were incredibly significant. To the both of them.

So when Freddie's mind raced with these memories, he told Sam, "Step back."

She was confused for a second, giving him an odd look and letting him go and stepping back. "Uhh… why?" she asked, standing there awkwardly.

"No, no. Don't ask questions. Just do it."

"Freddie, I swear to God if this is some sort of cheesy Valentine's Day trick, I _will_ smack you."

He only smiled wickedly back and said, "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

She glared at him for a second, before finally sighing and giving up, taking another step back.

"Keep going," he said.

She took another step back.

"Nope. Keeping going."

Another.

"Stop..." he said, leaning back against the brick wall again.

"Freddie, wha—"

"Shh, I told you not to ask questions, didn't I?" he said, grinning and pulling out a PearPad in his backpack from behind him.

"What is that?"

"A PearPad," he said, grinning widely.

"For…?"

"You'll see… Now hold still," he said, lifting it to eye level. "Just stare into the camera for a few seconds, completely still. I want to get a good picture of you."

"Uhmm, okay," she said, putting her hands to her sides and smiling at the PearPad he held.

She saw Freddie's smile grow even wider as he brought it back down and said, "Perfect."

"Can I see it?" she asked, still standing there and wondering why she needed to be so far away for him to take a picture of her.

"Absolutely," he said, smirking a bit.

He handed it to her, and she looked down, smiling immediately at what was on the screen. It wasn't a picture he'd just taken.

It was the MoodFace app.

She studied the bold, blinking capital letters: "MOOD: IN LOVE." She shook her head, laughing a bit and looking up at him.

"And how are you so sure I'm not in love with Brad?" she asked, smiling deviously as he took the PearPad from her and shut it off, putting it down on the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled them together.

"Hey, you're not threatening to do a double-fist dance on my face, right?" he asked, laughing a bit.

"What if I was?"

"Well, again, that's a risk I'm willing to take."

"And then you'd give me a speech saying that you know it's scary for me to put my feelings out there, right?" she grinned.

"Mmhmm," he said, nodding, "and I'm glad you did."

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers softly, remembering the feel of her lips the first time around at the lock-in. This one lasted for only a few seconds as he pulled away, gazing at her and tightening his grip around her waist.

"Where we're standing right now is the exact same spot that you kissed me that night at the lock-in, Sam," he said in a low voice. "That's why I made you step back."

She smiled but rolled her eyes. "Can anyone get any sappier than you, Benson?"

"Nope. I don't think so," he said. "But you love it."

"Yeah, I do… Secretly. But shh. Don't tell. It's bad enough I'm dating a dork. If they find out I love how sappy he is too, you'll ruin my rep," she quipped, laughing.

He shook his head. "You know you love me."

"So does the PearPad."

He laughed, pecking her on the lips one last time before releasing her from his grasp. She brought her hands down to hold his hands in front of her.

"So… besides this whole sappy field trip to the school courtyard, what else have you got planned for me today?"

"Well, as I said, that I can't tell you," he grinned.

She looked at him seriously. "Freddie. If it involves giving me roses, a box of chocolates, and taking me out to dinner and a movie, either you've been dating the wrong girl for the past seven months or you're even stupider than Gibby."

"Oh, trust me. I know I would've ended up stuffed in a locker or in the ER if I'd done all that. That's why I'm doing something different," he replied. "Now, close your eyes."

"Freddie, if I—"

"Shh. C'mon. Make like a Techfoot sneaker and 'just do it.'"

She had to laugh at his corny joke. "Wow, Freddie, any cornier than that and you probably would've ended up without a girlfriend after you said that."

"Oh, I can get cornier. What do you call corn that joins the army?"

"What?"

"A kernel! Ha!" he laughed.

She looked at him sullenly. "Alright. That's it. It's over."

"No! I'm sorry. I'm kidding. I'm kidding," he said, panicking a little.

She laughed at his sudden urgency. "I'm kidding, too, dip-wad," she said.

"Oh. Okay," he said, blushing a bit.

She rolled her eyes before closing them. "Alright. They're closed. Now what?"

"Hold still…"

She felt a piece of fabric covering her eyes and being tightened gently around the back of her head.

"Are you seriously blindfolding me right now?" she asked threateningly.

"Yes," he said, seeming to come from the front of her now. "But don't touch it. You can't take it off unless I tell you to."

"Freddie, I—" she began to protest.

"Sam, stop trying to stop me!" he interrupted her. She could almost see the way he would cross his arms and look at her. "I promise it won't be bad."

She stood there for a few seconds, debating on whether or not to go through with it before huffing and finally saying, "Fine."

She could almost imagine his stupid, delighted smile. She felt arms around her for a second before squealing when he lifted her up bridal-style.

"Freddie! What the hell are you doing?" she asked in a panic, arms scrambling to find his neck to wrap her arms around it so she wouldn't fall.

"I'm bringing you to my car. We're driving somewhere."

"Where?"

"Can't tell you."

"Ugh," she complained but still holding tight around his neck.

She was nervous and anxious. What the heck was this boy doing? Where was he taking her? The thought made her bite her lip even harder.

"You're nervous," he said suddenly after a few moments, still walking.

Her eyebrows scrunched up, "How the heck did you know?"

"You're biting your lip," he replied simply. Ugh. She hated that he knew her so well. "Stop being nervous. There's no need to be, Sam."

"But this whole blindfolding me and not telling me what you're gonna' do is driving me insane!" she exasperated.

She heard a car door open and herself being pushed inside what she assumed was the passenger seat of the car as she released her grasp from around his neck to sit down, the familiar scent of Freddie's car filling her nostrils. It smelled way too sterile for a 17-year-old boy's car. She figured it was because of Crazy. But she was surprised she'd actually _given_ him a car in the first place, so she didn't complain. It gave them a chance to drive out to some random place to make out sometimes, so she didn't complain. She didn't complain at all.

She heard the car door to the left of her being opened before smelling Freddie's cologne again. The car rumbled beneath her as he started it, putting it in reverse and pulling out of the parking spot he was in. He pushed the shift back to drive and sped out of the school parking lot, eager to get to the places (yes, places _plural_) he was taking them to.

She heard her phone make a noise from her pocket, which she assumed was a text message. She reached in her pocket and pulled it out, sighing when she realized she couldn't take the blindfold off and turned slightly to her left.

"Freddie, can you read this for me?" she asked, holding out the phone to him blindly.

"Uhh, your phone has a passcode, Sam," he said.

"Crap," she said.

There was a few moments of silence before he finally spoke.

"Y'know… if you want to know what that text says, you're gonna' have to—"

"I know I'm gonna' have to tell you!" she said loudly. She growled in frustration.

"So… are you gonna' tell me or…" he trailed off, unsure what to say.

He knew from Carly that her password was apparently "icky," and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what is was, but the curiosity won him over.

"C'mon, just tell me," he said.

"Oh, my God," she sighed, frustrated with him. "Fine. But I'm changing it after this!"

She leaned over to where she assumed his ear was and told him her password.

"Gross, Sam!" he said. She laughed a little when she imagined his face scrunching up in disgust.

"I know, I know, now just put the password in!" she scolded, hitting him where she assumed his arm was.

"Ow!" he said. She smiled to herself; even when she was blindfolded she could cause him physical harm. Mama's got skill. "Okay, okay. Gosh."

She heard the clicking of her PearPhone's password being inputted, hearing him shudder at it again before telling him to read it.

"Alright, now what does it say?"

He stifled a laugh and said, "It's from Carly."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I knew that much, but what does it say?"

"It says, 'OMG, Sam. When you get home, I want to hear EVERYTHING. OMG, I'm so excited right now for you! EEEEEPPPP!" he read off, laughing a little harder.

She groaned and leaned back into the chair, putting the PearPhone back in her pocket. "UGH. You see? _This_is one of the many reasons why I don't enjoy Valentine's Day! Carly is _always_ like this on Valentine's Day, whether I'm single or not!"

"Well, I personally think it's really funny," he laughed, thinking back at it.

She wanted to glare at him, but she couldn't, the blindfold covering the things that would be able to send her piercing message wordlessly.

She sighed and slumped back into her chair, huffing a bit. "Are we almost there yet?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't get your panties in a wad."

"Shut up! I hate that word!" she yelled. "I told you that!" 

"Why? I don't understand what's wrong with the word _panties_," he said deliberately, wanting to tease her about it.

"Oh, my God. Shut up!" she said again, but not as threateningly.

"C'mon, you know you like panties."

"NO, I absolutely hate that word!"

"Aw, Sam, am I bothering you by saying the word _panties_?"

It continued with loud verses of "La la la la la la!" and her pressing her hands over her ears and him repeatedly insisting that she liked panties over it before they finally laughed together and stopped.

"My God, you irritate me," she shook her head even as she laughed.

"I know," he grinned.

They sat together with the radio on as Freddie continued to drive on the highway. Thoughts were racing through her mind unremittingly, making her even more nervous than she was to begin with. Her leg bounced up and down and she bit her lip again and again, going insane with this, unable to even see where they were going.

After twenty minutes of driving, she finally spoke up and said, "Freddie, please tell me where we're going. This is making me crazy!"

"Shh. Don't worry. We're here," he said.

She felt the car come to a slow halt, and she sighed in relief.

"Yes. Finally," she exasperated in triumph. "Now can I take this stupid thing off?" she asked, reaching for the knot behind her head.

"Yup, go ahead," he responded.

She slowly pulled it off, squinting her eyes at the surprisingly bright sun. When her eyes finally focused on the building in front of them, her heart jumped and started to race in her chest all over again.

"Freddie…" she breathed. "This… I…"

"Brings you back, doesn't it?" he asked, smirking at her. He took her hand in his and held it over the center console, brushing his thumb in circles on her skin.

"I… yeah…" she said again, unsure of what to say.

They were parked right in front of Troubled Waters Mental Hospital.

Some people would find it funny that a mental institution could be somehow significantly romantic in someone's life, but it certainly wasn't for Sam. Here was where they made realizations. Realizations that they were _both _insane. Realizations that sometimes love can be found in the places where you least expect it to be. And as terrified as Sam was those three days, thoughts racing through her mind about Freddie and if he loved her at all after all of the awful things she'd ever done and said to him, all her fears were immediately erased when Freddie strode across that lobby and kissed her faster than she could say, "Get back at me for all the mean things I've said to you." Literally.

She stared at it, remaining motionless in her chair as if she was afraid any movement would tear this moment away from her. Her mouth stayed slightly agape, breath hitching in her throat as memories continued to flit through her mind like a picture book.

_You mean that?_

_Mmhmm. So I guess we're both insane._

She heard it echoing in her head, the words that, at the time, reassured her, made her sure that it wasn't a wonderful dream she was having.

She looked over at him and smiled widely, sure that no words would be able to articulate what she was feeling for him right now. So she leaned over and kissed him briefly, letting him know everything she wanted to say without words.

Because she knew they'd never be enough.

ø

"Ugh, I can't believe we're doing this _again_. How many places are you taking me to?" she whined.

"Hey, I didn't hear you complaining after you took it off earlier," he teased, poking her in the side.

"Yeah, I know. But this whole blindfold part of it is so annoying!" she sighed in frustratingly, ready to tear to blindfold from her eyes and just ignore his consistent insistency to keep it on.

After they had spent a few moments making out in front of Troubled Waters Mental Hospital, Freddie, with opulent amounts of persuasion, ordered Sam to put the blindfold back on so they could drive to the next location. But Sam, surprisingly so, protested and said she was hungry. He acquiesced with her command, unwilling to receive a broken arm if he said no, and brought her to the nearest fast food restaurant. When she finally did put the blindfold back on, he wasted no time in driving quickly to the next spot on his list.

So here they were, back on the road and driving again. After some time, when she felt the car come to another stop, she sat up, ready to take the blindfold off.

"No," he said suddenly, a hand coming up to stop her wrist from untying the knot.

"Why?" she asked. "We're here, aren't we?"

"Yeah, we're here; I just need to take you there first."

She huffed and let go of the knot reluctantly. "Fine."

"Alright."

She heard his car door open and close, hers opening shortly afterwards. She felt Freddie's warm hands on her arm, urging and lifting her gently out of the car. He kept one hand on her arm and one hand on her back to lead her forward. She heard the sound of a door opening and felt him leading her into whatever building or store he brought them to. He stopped holding her suddenly, making her momentarily confused as she heard the click of what sounded like a button. She realized it was an elevator when she heard a ding, and she felt Freddie's hands on her again, guiding her into it. When she heard the elevator doors close, she felt Freddie's arms suddenly wrap around her from behind, pulling her back against him as he turned her face almost roughly and kissed her hotly. She felt his hands roaming all over her upper body, making her almost moan into his mouth. He stopped abruptly when the elevator dinged again, indicating their arrival to whatever floor he put into the console. She bit her lip against a smile as a blush made its way to her cheeks. Wow, she liked that. It was interesting to kiss him blindly like that. Although they'd already done the "make-out-in-the-elevator-until-it-stops" bit many times before, she kind of liked kissing him without being able to see anything. It made it even more exciting, not knowing what he'd do.

She felt his hands on her arm and back again, guiding her carefully once again. She heard the jingling of what she assumed was keys and a door being unlocked and opened. She was met with an oddly familiar scent as she entered, one that was purely Freddie… and cleaning products.

_His __**apartment**__? Why the heck did he need to blindfold me if we were just going back to Bushwell?_

"Freddie, I know the smell of your apartment; why did you blindfold me if we were just going back to Bushwell?" she asked, reaching a hand behind her head to untie the knot.

"Shh. No. Don't take it off yet," he said, earning a frustrated grunt from her and pulling her hand back down. "Just… trust me on this."

She felt him guiding her again. After walking just a few moments, she heard what sounded like a window being opened and a gush of wind blow suddenly into her. She visibly shivered as she was led out to what she assumed was the outside.

"Alright, lift your foot up pretty high; there's a ledge here. Step over it," he said, holding her hand in front of her as she did so.

She felt herself being pushed forward as she walked slowly, stopping when her hands landed on a railing. When he didn't guide her again, she spoke.

"Uh, can I take this stupid thing you call a blindfold off now?" she asked.

"No," he said, making her momentarily disappointed. "I'll do it."

She felt him gently tugging at the knot behind her head as it fell from her eyes. A beautiful view of Seattle, glowing and shining with its illuminated city lights, was revealed before her eyes. The skyline was tinged a dark orange, lined with a slight shade of white and fading into a gradually darkening blue. Her breath hitched a bit in her throat, unsure of the last time she saw Seattle this beautiful. Realizing she still had no idea where the heck she was, she looked around her, immediately recognizing the metal stairs behind her.

The fire escape. _Their_ fire escape.

The corner of her lip turned up slightly, looking back at Freddie, who was leaning over the ledge of the fire escape with his forearms and looking down at the traffic.

"I don't remember the last time I saw Seattle like this," Freddie said, still staring down at the traffic, the loose strands of his hair shaking with the slight breeze.

She nodded back and stared down at the traffic herself. "Yeah…"

He pulled away from the ledge, moving himself behind Sam, who stared out at the skyline once again. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and leaned into her, placing his chin on her right shoulder and looking out with her. She leaned back into him, closing her eyes and sighing happily when he kissed her neck softly.

"So…" she started after several minutes of staring at the view. "No more blindfolds?"

"No more blindfolds," he affirmed.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Yay," she said, making him smile.

They went back to staring at the skyline, listening to the distant horns and sounds of the cars down below. Silence fell between them, not wanting to ruin this moment in each other's arms. The only sound they made was their steady breaths, breathing in the cool Seattle air.

Freddie chuckled suddenly, a memory coming to his mind.

"What?" she asked, turning her head and looking up at him.

"Nothing."

"Well, why'd you just laugh?"

"Nothing. I just…" he chuckled again.

"See? There it is again. What's so funny?" she asked, confused a bit and smiling at the way he was acting.

"It's just… Do you remember, three years ago? When we were on this same fire escape, and you were apologizing about telling the world I haven't kissed anyone?" he asked.

She laughed and said, "Yeah, of course I do. What about it?"

"It's just weird to me how we went from having our first kiss out here to making out on a daily basis," he said, chuckling again and shaking his head. "Like how we always beat up on each other and called each other names and how now we're all hugs and kisses and chiz."

She laughed and turned around, leaning into him again. "Yeah, those were the days," she said. "When you didn't have these stupid things," she quipped, squeezing the hard muscles of his arms, "and I was still able to pin you down effortlessly."

"Well, I wouldn't say _effortlessly_…" he trailed off, looking down at the pointed look on her face and the smirk traced on her lips. "Okay, fine, I was pretty weak back then, but hey. I'm pretty strong now!"

"Mm," she hummed in agreement, squeezing his bicep again. "Very."

He laughed and squeezed her tighter, walking backwards and falling onto the lawn chair he always had out there. She sat down with him in his lap, shivering and curling up into his warmth when a stronger gust of wind blew. They sat there for awhile, listening to each other's steady breaths and taking in the fresh air that blew around them. After awhile, the skyline had receded to a dark blue, turning into an intense black. It was then Sam looked up and noted the stars, now seeing more of them than she had in awhile. He hummed his agreement and rubbed his hand on her back, looking up with her, content to be there with her and having her in his arms.

He didn't know where it came from. Maybe it was just the simplicity of the moment. The feeling of her body against his. The feeling of just being content to sit there with her and stare up at the stars and feel like never going back inside again. The simple knowledge that she was there with him. Maybe some sort of epiphany hit him. But without really a solid explanation at all, he suddenly wanted to make her aware of his feelings for her. To make her know—_really_ know—how much he valued her and how much she meant to him. So he did.

"I love you. So much," he started, making her look down from the stars and back at him. "You've heard it a thousand times before, but I just hope you know how true it is. It's not just something I toss out there a few times a day because I'm supposed to. It's something you have to understand and never forget, to remember it no matter what happens to us. I mean, it's terrifying, Sam. To… have this feeling in your heart that's so overwhelming and amazing at the same time and to think that, just with a few words, all of it could fall apart immediately. To know that the one you love feels the exact same way about you. And to be absolutely terrified that all they need to do is simply walk away and make everything come crashing down. And then it occurs to me that, one day, in the future, when we've grown together and experienced everything we could have to offer with each other, I'd _really_ like to marry you, Sam," he exasperated, heart thrumming wildly in his chest.

Her breath hitched in her throat with his words. He wanted to marry her one day. He was that confident with their relationship that he already knew he wanted to marry her and her only. It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. How could she have been so lucky, after all she's ever done to him and to others, to receive a guy as amazing as he was?

"Now, I don't know what the hell I did to deserve someone as great as you, Sam, but… hell, if I don't feel like the luckiest guy in the world. You're everything to me, Sam. I don't think I could ever make you understand how much I really love you. I don't think words would _ever _be sufficient enough to describe this… feeling that I seem to get in my chest every time I'm with you. I mean, even now, when you're just sitting here with me, I can feel and hear my heartbeat quickening by the second. And it makes me wonder… how can you just look at someone and have them in your life and feel like there's nowhere else you'd rather be but with them? So… let me say it just one more time, and then one more… and one more… and one more…" he smiled at her, eyes sparkling with adoration, "so you can know—_really_ know—how deeply I feel it. I love you. So much, Sam."

She didn't know what to say. She was taken aback. She hadn't expected him to be so… open and audacious. She didn't even want to say that what he said was cheesy or cliché. This was him telling her his true feelings about her; how could she just label it as something that's said too often? So she gave up on words, just leaned down to kiss him deeply and straddled him in his chair. She needed him. She needed to be connected to him and have him show her how much he loved her. So she continued to kiss him, their lips moving in tandem with each other. Her fingers curled into his hair, running them through his soft brown locks as she kissed him soundly.

He pulled away from the kiss after a few moments, his breathing beginning to quicken up as he stared into her eyes hotly.

"How do you do this?" he asked, an almost bewildered gaze in his eyes, a hint of worry seeming to mix in.

She chuckled a bit, "How do you do what?"

He didn't laugh back. He kept the serious expression on his face and shook his head slightly, still staring into her eyes and looking almost worried.

"No… How do you tell someone how much you love them… when you know that words could never be enough?"

She would've smacked him playfully and called him cheesy. She would've called him a sap. She would've laughed and labeled him a hopeless romantic. But the feeling that rang through her, the one that started deep in her heart and spread throughout her entire body to envelop her in a familiar warmth that she never felt before ever since he came along, was far too overwhelming for her to call it that. The feelings that she was drowning in, the quickening pace of her heartbeat at his words, wouldn't allow her to insult such a moment as this. He was the one she'd known for so long but never had the chance to realize sooner he'd be the one that she'd fall in love with. For years, they'd played this game. This charade about hating each other deeply. Maybe it was just childish play. Maybe it was just a matter of growing up.

Or maybe it was because both of them were afraid to stop playing it.

She knows now they had no reason to be. No reason at all.

So when she would wonder how she could fall in love with someone over the course of just seven months, she would always come to the conclusion that it was because she'd known him for much longer. To call this moment, in his arms, cliché or cheesy, would be wrongful of her. She couldn't insult him for making her fall in love with him. Now it sounded cheesy to other people, because they'd never felt this way before.

You couldn't understand love if you haven't felt it before.

So without words, she leaned in and kissed him even deeper than before, slipping her tongue into his mouth and tangling them hotly together, feeling his hands go to her hips as he bit back a groan at the feel of her grinding down on his lap. He could already feel the first tendrils of his arousal making their way between his legs, making it apparent he was turned on. He wanted to show her how much he loved her. He felt it at the courtyard; he felt it now. No other ending to the day would do. So he picked her up bridal-style, not wanting to waste time, and carried her to the bedroom slowly, letting the anticipation build up. He was still kissing her hotly, careful when he stepped over the ledge of the windowsill and brought her straight to his room. He opened the door and brought her to the bed, laid her down softly on it and crawled over her, had to stare momentarily at how beautiful she looked, hair splayed all around her head and eyes looking almost shyly back up at him. His eyes trailed down to her full lips, and he leaned down, pressing his lips against hers forcefully, kissing her so hotly she moaned against his mouth. He groaned in response, this time not bothering to hold back on making noises. He brought his hips down against hers and grinded down against her, letting her feel how much he needed her.

She felt a jolt of electricity make its way between her legs when she felt his arousal rubbing against her clothed core. The friction made her delirious with desire, and she scrambled to get his shirt off, to feel the heat of his body without the barrier they called clothing. Her hands flitted to the buttons on his plaid shirt, unbuttoning each one quickly and pushing it off his shoulders when she was finally done, running her soft hands from his navel all the way up to his shoulders, trying to memorize the feel of his strong, cut upper body. She felt his hands on the hem of her shirt as he yanked it up, also feeling desperate for skin-on-skin contact. She took the rest of it in her hands and pulled it up and over her head, going back to kissing him deeply. He grinded down on her harder when he saw her red bra, eager to see what was underneath. He trailed a hand up her stomach, letting the anticipation rise within her, as he clasped a hand firmly on one breast, kneading softly over the smooth, silken fabric of her bra.

She moaned deep and low in her throat at the feel of his hands on her, another jolt of pleasure making its way between her legs. He pulled away from their kiss to lift her torso up gently with his hands as he reached behind her and released the snap of her bra, taking it off of her and throwing it off to the side of his bed. As he took stock of the half-naked, gorgeous woman on his bed, his hands itched to touch her bare upper body, milky white skin curving wonderfully, perfectly in a way that made the desire in him flow even stronger in his veins.

He moved down the length of the bed and leaned down to kiss the area right above her waistline, watching her eyes watch him, darkened with unadulterated want and desire. He kissed up her stomach slowly, leaving a heated, lingering path in its wake, turning her on even more as he finally reached her chest. He let both his hands grab hold of her hips and slid his hands up her sides, grazing his thumbs right beneath both of her breasts. His right hand finally came up and kneaded one softly as he clasped his mouth around the other, making her moan again at the feel of his hot mouth on her.

She could feel him, long and hard and pressing into her inner thigh. She moved her leg against it, hearing him pause and let out a grunt as she provided him with more friction. She let him worship her body until she couldn't take it anymore, trailing a hand down his body to the bulge beneath his jeans, cupping her hand around it and squeezing briefly.

"Ungh," he groaned suddenly, unable to control himself. "Sam…" he said breathlessly as she began stroking him through his jeans, making his hips thrust forward instinctively. She felt him lengthen even more under her touch, quickening her pace slightly to give him more to feel.

Seeing her chance to remove his pants finally, she reached right above his hardened arousal to the clasp of his jeans, popping it open and pushing his jeans down his legs. He kicked it off the rest of the way when it reached his calves, and she had to stare at the way his dark blue boxers tented in the center. He captured her lips with his again as he went for the button on her jeans, popping it open and pulling the zipper down before peeling them down and off her slender legs. It was more of an effort for him, her jeans tighter and less baggy than his were. He finally got them off of her and stared at her matching red panties, hands itching to touch her once again.

"Sam…" he whispered, making her look up at him shyly, biting her lip self-consciously. "You're so… beautiful. I can't…" The words choked in his throat, amazed at how absolutely beautiful she looked laying down before him.

He loomed over her and kissed her again, grinding into her with just one barrier in between them. It drove her crazy. She wanted him. She needed him. She needed to feel connected to him, not just physically, but emotionally. Mentally. In every way possible. She loved him, and there was no way she would see the end of this night until her need was finally satiated.

So as she kissed him back hotly, she reached down and tried to pull his boxers off, but he stopped her, grabbing her wrist to keep her from taking them off.

"Not yet," he gasped, breathing heavily. "I wanted to…" he trailed off in his own suggestive way as he kissed down the expanse of her toned, slender stomach.

When he finally reached her red underwear, he hooked his fingers around the sides, pulling them off and down her legs slowly, only intensifying the ache she felt in the area he'd just revealed. She yearned for the feel of him, but he was relentless, just reached down and ran a finger up her core, making her moan in anticipation. He groaned when he discovered how turned on she was. Did he really turn her on that much? The thought had him throbbing almost painfully for her, pushing insistently against her leg.

After teasing her for a few more minutes, he tentatively pushed his finger inside, hearing her moan and buck her hips against his hand. He continued this for awhile until he lowered his head and kissed at the top of her core.

She moaned loudly, arching her back as he pulled his fingers away and finally slid his tongue into her core, flicking and twisting against her as her hips gyrated and bucked against his mouth.

"Uhn… Freddie. Oh… Ahh… Oh, God…" she cried out softly, reaching down to place her hand at the back of his head, pressing him deeper into her core. She groaned repeatedly, nearly coming apart with a scream as he flicked his tongue against her most sensitive area. He took his time, nearly drowning in her taste as he licked faster, making the frequency and volume of her moans grow even higher. After a few moments, she finally gave up to her own climax, arching her back and crying out loudly.

He crawled back over her, hovering above her and holding himself up with two hands beside her head as he let her recover from her high. He leaned down and kissed her hotly, wasting no time in forcing her mouth open with his tongue, swallowing her diminishing moans of pleasure.

"You took your pill today, right?" he asked against her lips.

She only nodded and kept her eyes closed, not wanting to waste time at all. She moaned when he deepened the kiss even further, making heat rise up in her body and the dull throb in between her legs to grow stronger. He gently brought his body down against Sam's, grinding into her. He continued kissing her, distracting her as he reached down and lined himself up. She moaned loudly into his mouth when he finally sank into her, finally being able to be connected to him in the way she'd been craving for the past few hours.

He pulled away from the kiss to let out a groan himself, amazed at how hot, wet, and tight she felt. He pulled out, only to thrust back into her slowly. She threw her head back and moaned at the sensations that she was beginning to feel down below, exposing her throat to his lips. So he leaned down and licked across her flesh as he thrust into her slowly, wanting her to fully feel the sensations.

"Ah… Freddie… Mmm…" she moaned, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him inside her even deeper.

"Sam…" he whispered back, ghosting his lips across the flesh of her collarbone, leaving a heated path in its wake. "You feel… uh… so good."

He could feel her warm hands pressing into his back, her nails digging into his skin softly, leaving indents in the form of crescents in his back. Her soft moans in his ear each time he thrust into her threatened to make him explode. But he held back, wanting to feel this way as long as he could. Unbearable snakes of pleasure were making their way across Sam's body each time Freddie moved inside her, making her arch her back ever so slightly and push her hips towards him. She could feel him sliding against her inner walls, marvelous friction that had her clenching around him, making him groan and pick up his pace even more. She cried out when his tip brushed against the spot deep inside her, sending an overwhelming streak of pleasure go coursing through her. He groaned in ecstasy when her walls clenched tightly around him, forcing his body to thrust even harder into her.

He could feel himself getting closer and closer to the edge, pulsing desirably inside her. He brought his right hand down to her thigh and lifted it up gently, pulling it against him as he pushed into her repeatedly. Her moans increased in frequency and volume, writhing underneath him.

"Ahhhh… Freddieeeee."

The sound of her voice, high and sultry in his ear, had him yearning for more. So he brought the crook of his arm under her knee and brought it up with him. With a small moan, he repositioned himself inside her, making her moan loudly in surprise.

"Ah! Fuck…" she breathed, arching her back even more and pressing her chest into his.

She continued moaning, breathy pleas of his name in his ear repeatedly. It threatened to undo him, and he stopped abruptly, staying inside her and leaning down to kiss her. She groaned in frustration against his mouth before opening her eyes to look at him, eyes clouded over with unadulterated lust and concupiscence. Being connected to him this way, being able to feel him inside her in a way no one else could, made her feel a frantic fervor deep in her chest, making her heart beat faster in its confines. She could almost _feel_ herself falling deeper in love with him as he stared into her eyes, breathing heavily underneath him.

Without warning, he pulled out and flipped them over, allowing Sam to straddle his thighs. Wanting to waste no time, she lowered herself on him, allowing him to slide into her. He moaned deep in his throat and grasped her hips tightly, moving her up and down on top of him. She began slowly, making wide figure eights with her hips. Her mouth hung open, breathy pleas and moans coming from it as he sank himself even deeper into her. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling the flexing muscles of his chest under them as she writhed on top of him.

She throws her head back and cries out when he raises his hips up to meet hers, thrust for thrust. She rotates her hips in tighter circles when she feels herself tightening around him, wanting to keep him deep inside her. She knows she's close when she clenches spastically around him as his tip brushed against the sensitive spot deep inside her again. She feels herself close to the edge as she moves against him quickly, fighting for that explosion, that pleasurable feeling she was striving for.

She could feel herself hanging by a thread. But before she could prepare herself for the overwhelming, pleasurable feeling to flow through her body, he reaches down and brushes his thumb across her clit. She comes apart immediately and cries out loudly, thrusting somewhat unsteadily against him as her muscles clenched around him spastically. He groans when she reaches her peak and lifts himself up to kiss her, swallowing her moans of pleasure as he grunted and emitted a long draw, out moan and released inside her, unable to hold back any longer. She slows down gradually and eventually stops, still kissing him soundly.

The room was filled with their deep breathing, their bodies covered in a thin sheet of sweat as they lay there against each other. He collapses back down onto the bed to catch his breath, Sam still laying down on top of him and breathing just as heavily. He was still buried inside her, Sam unwilling to climb off of him to continue feeling this certain connection with him.

A few minutes later, when their breathing had finally slowed down significantly, Sam rolled off to her side and snuggled close to him, pressing her ear against his chest. His heart still thrummed wildly underneath the steady rise and fall of his chest, and it was an unbelievably calming and comforting sound to her. She smiled and lifted her head up to look at him, chin resting on his chest as she gave him a small smile.

"Hey," he smiled, reaching down to play with one of the locks of her hair.

"Hey yourself."

"Well… that was… nice," he nodded, a goofy, crooked grin coming to his face.

She chuckled and nodded, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "Yeah… good work," she winked.

He laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She returned to her original position, ear against his chest and hand resting flat on his stomach, tracing imaginary circles with her fingertips.

"Hey," he suddenly said, making her lift her head to look up at him again. "I love you."

She smiled and nodded, "Love you, too."

It's funny how, in just a timespan of three years, someone can go from saying "I hate you" to "I love you" just by putting their feelings out there, no matter how scary it was for them. But, she figured, what made it easy for her to fall in love was that there was always someone there to catch her; she just didn't realize it soon enough.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she suddenly said out of the blue.

"Happy Valentine's Day to you, too, Sam," he laughed. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too."

**A/N: Ugh. Why do I feel like this is so incredibly cheesy? lol. Sorry about all the cheese. :P But I still think it's really cute. I mean, c'mon… it's Seddie. lol. Leave a review! :) **

**Oh, and I apologize if there are any grammatical errors. There's 11,000 words. I mean, sure, I proofread a bit, but I have a life, too, y'know. :P **

**Thanks for reading! Button's right there if you feel the need to say something. ;)**

**V**


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